recycling – TechConnect Briefs

Recycling of Graphite Waste into High Quality Graphene Products

Ahmed T.M., Rahman M.M., Asmatulu E., Wichita State University, US

Graphite is a stack of carbon layers where carbon atoms form hexagons in a honeycomb structure. Graphene on the other hand is a single atom thick layer which offers unique physical, chemical and biological properties [...]

Solar Updraft Tower Using Compost Waste Heat and Transpired Solar Collectors

Anderson K., Ang A., Osorio R., California State Polytechnic University at Pomona, US

This paper explores the use of ways to enhance energy production capability in Solar Updraft Towers (SUT) by using compost waste heat (CWH) and transpired solar collectors (TSC) in unison. The SUT is also referred [...]

Development and Performance of Recyclable Composites for Wind Turbine Blades

Ma Y., Kim D., Wu M-S, Bai L., Gao X., Qing B., He J., Lib X., Nutt S.R., Liang B., Adesso Advanced Materials Inc., US

Wind energy has become an increasingly important renewable energy source. In 2015 alone, the U.S. wind industry installed wind turbines generating 8,595 MW, a 77 % increase over 2014 [1], and the market growth is [...]

The Effects of Recycling on the Structure and Properties of Carbon Nanotube-Filled Polycarbonate

Zhang J., Panwar A., Bello D., Isaacs J.A., Jozokos T., Mead J., University of Massachusetts-Lowell, US

Sustainable manufacturing processes are becoming more important in industrial practice. A critical part of the manufacturing process is understanding the recycling behavior of nanocomposite materials, particularly as more recycled plastic nanocomposites are entering the market [...]

Computational Studies on Mechanisms for the Organocatalytic Depolymerization of Poly(ethylene) Terephthalate

Jones G.O., Horn H.W., Wei D.S., Fukushima K., Lecuyer J.M., Coady D.J., Hedrick J.L., Rice J.E., IBM, US

Poly(ethylene) terephthalate (PET) is a widely used thermoplastic commonly found in packaging products and that constitutes a large percentage of total plastic refuse. We have examined the depolymerization of PET with alcohols and amines, a [...]

Improving the End-of-Life for Electronic Materials via Sustainable Recycling Methods

Korzenski M.B., ATMI, US

The production of electronic equipment such as computers, cell phones, TVs, etc. is one of the fastest growing global manufacturing activities. Unfortunately this results in substantial quantities of waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE). In [...]

Copper nanowires on Recycled Conducting Glass for DSSC Electrodes

Liao C-Y, National Cheng Kung University, TW

A simple method for recovery of ITO glass from thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) wastes for dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) electrodes has been developed. The ITO glass separated from the color filter and [...]